Active acne does a number on your skin, and the worst part may be the scarring that leaves pits, pockmarks, and discoloration long after the pimples have subsided.
You can cover those ghostly reminders with makeup, but there’s no way to mask the pitted, rough texture with topical products. What you need is the power of laser treatments — the kind we offer at New Life Aesthetics in Bakersfield, California.
Dr. Nirav Naik and our team specialize in rejuvenating skin using advanced technology. Our laser skin resurfacing treatments work deep within your tissue layers to heal damage and stimulate the growth of new skin cells. Here, we explain the process.
Acne is traumatic to your skin. The infected follicles swell and burst, rupturing your skin and triggering collateral damage around and under the pimple, papule, or node.
A minor zit may heal quickly, but many don’t. In fact, about one-fifth of people with acne end up with lingering scars. Acne scars come in two main categories, depressed and raised, with specific types that have distinct characteristics.
Some acne scars form after you pick at or pop a pimple. If you scrape away skin during that process, the loss of tissue results in a sunken or depressed scar.
Scars that are raised above the surface of your healthy skin develop when your body floods the area with extra collagen to reinforce the damaged tissue. Collagen is a powerful protein that repairs tissue well, but your body doesn’t care about aesthetics during the healing process, so it builds up plenty of scar tissue.
Ice pick acne scars get their name because they resemble the shape of an ice pick tool: pointed at the bottom and wider at the top. These generally appear on thinner skin like that on your forehead and upper cheeks.
Boxcar acne scars are deep and have distinct, sharp edges. These tend to affect the lower part of your face.
Rolling acne scars look less like typical scars and more like wavy, dimpled skin. Like boxcar scars, rolling scars affect thicker skin, such as on your jawline and lower cheeks.
Bumpy, raised scar tissue that covers more area than the original wound is called a keloid scar. These usually appear on the back and chest but may also form on the jawline.
Most scars fade over time as your skin renews itself. Chemical peels can speed up the process by removing the top layer of skin and the scar tissue it contains, but if the scars are deep, they’ll still be visible.
Dr. Naik uses the Icon® laser system from Cynosure® to treat your acne scars from above and below. The laser light breaks up the scar tissue on the surface and sends thermal energy down through your layers of skin to prompt new collagen and elastin production.
This fortifies the structure of your skin, improves its strength and resilience, heals damaged tissue, reduces discoloration, and significantly reduces the appearance of your acne scars.
Because laser skin resurfacing triggers a healing process, it takes a few weeks for your results to become noticeable, and it may take a few sessions to reach your goals. But once your treatments have done their work, your skin will look younger, smoother, and more even.
To find out if laser skin resurfacing can banish the ghosts of acne past, call New Life Aesthetics or reach out to us online through our secure message portal.
